John Deere announced Tuesday that it will cut all DEI activities not required by law and return to that novel but outdated concept of a workforce based on performance.

 In an announcement released Tuesday morning, the company bowed to the public pressure generated by Robby Starbuck only a week ago, which started with this video.

It’s time to expose John Deere.@JohnDeere has been one of the most beloved brands by conservative farmers but recently on CEO John May’s watch, they’ve gone woke.

Here’s some of what we found:

• Funding a pride event for kids as young as 3
• "Genderbread man" training
•… pic.twitter.com/nWnSUCW08K

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 9, 2024

In it, he revealed the degree to which DEI had eaten away at the core of a quintessentially American brand.

• Funding a pride event for kids as young as 3 

• "Genderbread man" training 

• They ask employees to list their "preferred pronouns" on all communications 

• Bill Gates is listed as their largest shareholder 

• John Deere celebrated their accounting and finance team taking United Way’s 21 day "United For Equity" program 

• When I did "United For Equity" program it promoted Ibram Kendi, the woke children’s book "Anti-Racist Baby", "Awake to Woke to Work", a podcast on the concept of "Whiteness", woke activist Robin DiAngelo, bigotry against Christians who supposedly have "Christian Privilege" and more 

• The woke policies have spread across the global John Deere brand with many of their DEI policies also being forced on their Latin America and India branches 

• LGBTQ & race based identity groups at corporate 

• A total commitment to DEI policies 

• 95/100 CEI score from the HRC

My colleague Brandon Morse has much more on the story here: John Deere Exposed: Famous American Company Soaked in Disgusting Wokeness According to New Report.

In its statement, the company promises to distance itself from the poisonous DEI parasite that has attached itself to the John Deere brand.

We will no longer participate or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events.

Business Resouce Groups will exclusively be focused on professional development, networking, mentoring, and supporting talent recruitment efforts.

Auditing all company-mandated training materials and policies to ensure the absence of socially motivated messages, while being in compliance with federal, state, and local laws.

Reaffirming with the business that the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy.

We fundamentally believe a diverse workforce enables us to best meet our custonmers' needs and because of that we will continue to track and advance the diversity of our organization.

The statement doesn't refer to Starbuck's reporting but it gives it a hat tip: "To best serve our customers and employees, Deere is always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve. That's why we consistently prioritize internal policies that more closely align our business strategy to meet the needs of our customers."  It also doesn't define what it means by "track and advance the diversity of our organization." That could be as benign as complying with mandated reporting requirements, or it could mean that employees will continue to be advanced based on something other than merit.

John Deere is in the middle of a corporate crisis that it may not survive. About 600 layoffs have been announced, and some production is slated to move to Mexico. In that context, a revolt by North American customers and distributors was the last thing the company needed, and that, more than any shame associated with pushing sexual deviancy and embracing racial discrimination, probably drove the decision. 

This follows similar backtracking by Tractor Supply after Robby Starbuck exposed the DEI shenanigans of a brand firmly associated with rural America; see Tractor Supply Co. Ditches Everything Woke, Declares It Won't Ever Touch DEI or Pride Celebrations.

The success Starbuck has shown in these two campaigns shows just how vulnerable brands are to public pressure once their policies are exposed to sunlight.